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jack fe · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 865

Last night was probably the most extreme Jeffrey Lewis show I've ever seen. And one of the best!

The opened with a new song I'd never heard before. Kind of similar to Broken Broken Broken Heart, and followed it with about 5 minutes of drone violin, guitar feedback and Fletcher (Dave's girlfriend who is now singing and playing keyboard) chanting in sanskrit! I know how crazy it sounds, and I personally really enjoyed it. I love Jeffrey's music so much because he constantly surprises and impresses me with his bold moves and this was no exception.
The feedback/drone finally morphed into a wonderful version of Arrow.
I don't really remember an order, but they played:
Broken Broken Broken Heart (with the whole band, really kickass)
Slogans
Art Land
History Of Communism In Korea

There was probably a couple more. They ended with The Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song (with added violin). In god knows how many times of seeing Jeffrey, that was the first time I'd heard him play that masterpiece and it was wonderful as ever.

Strangely, my sister pointed out that this show was 3 years to the day we first heard Jeffrey play. A great anniversary.

It was great to see you Nick! Sorry I didn't see you at the end to see what you thought.

Off to Brighton soon, for another show. It's almost too much...
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Will Oldham · Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 5:49 pm Post subject:

Hey Nic I looked for you guys at the end by the merch but didn't see you, Dave said he hadn't seen you for an hour or so, Im sure I'll catch you at the next gig!

the set was fantastic, I loved the new song they opened with, I asked jeff the name but he just said t was a new one they've been working on.

The indian sounding Fletcher song which came next and segwayed seamlessly into arrow was the highlight of there set for me ( which also would make it the high light of the whole show I guess) or at least on a par with the excellent version of chelsea hotel oral sex song which just featured Jeff on guitar and Johnny Flynn playing violin (which he did expertly on a number of songs).

getting back to the indian sounding song it was so fantastically different in a day of artists playing for the most part a set full of songs each un itelligable and indistingishable from the last. it was an exellent way to show case the fact that Fletcher as the latest fully fledged member of the band (IT'S OFFICIAL - DAVE SAID AS MUCH!) has not just been brought in as a vocal replacement for Helen on the Crass stuff. but is indeed there on her own merits, I was never fully convinced that the band ever needed to be anything other than a trio but in seeing the set last night you'd have thought the 4 of them have been in this band since they were kids.

speaking with Jeff after the show he asked me what the highlights of the day were and not wanting to sound sicophantic I desperately looked for an alternative. the truth is this band never gets boring, they were the only act of the day that really engaged with the audience, their set takes you on a journey, you dont know where you're going, you don't know what you might encounter along the way, all you know is, this is one ride you really don't want to miss out on.

the set list is as follows, and if anyone out there recorded this show i would really like a copy of this one!

New song about love
Indian/ sanskrit fletcher song
Arrow
Wait it out
I ain't thick, its just a trick
Wild flowers
Slogans
The complete history of communism part 5 ; Korea
End result
Broken Heart
Art Land
The Chelsea hotel oral sex song
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jack fe · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 865

Nick, I'm in total agreement with you and I'm very glad you said it.
There were some nice moments in other bands sets (this is not including Herman Dune, who were brilliant as ever) but they just went along at the same pace. Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn, despite having some moments of goodness, could have been the same song for and hour and a half. I get bored pretty quickly, and the Jeffrey Lewis Band (along with Herman Dune) are a total antidote.

Only one band of the day was actively bad (in my opinion, We Aeronauts were horrendous), and Peggy Sue & The Pirates were wonderful. Johnny Flynn was really great playing fiddle with Jeff too! But seeing Jeff, Jack, Dave and Fletcher (along with David-Ivar and Neman) is a total opposite to the bland artists and groups that the country and world is too full of at the moment.

Anyway, no reason to sound like I'm bitching. It was a really great day. Worked very well for an all day indoor event.
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Will Oldham · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 1:02 am Post subject:

yes to be fair I wasn't including Herman-Dune in my rant ( I hadn't ment to rant but on reflection I realise I have) but the acts that were on before, yes like you say there were good moments in some of their sets but they were quickly forgotten amidst the monotony - were you as hypnotised my Neman's Dancing behind the bongos as I was? great stuff!

I did have a good day though it was a really unusual venue and well run
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jack fe · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 865

Last night in Brighton was great too. It kind of felt like the second half of the same set. Both all too short. Jeff continued to surprise and baffle some sections of the audience and bring intense joy to most.

I can never remember sets. They opened with If You Shoot The Head.
The only songs the played the same as the previous night were End Result and Slogans. Champion Jim made an appearance. As did about 10 minutes of the Watchmen lecture, which was supergreat. They Always New They'd Make It, Life and a cover of Jonathan Richman's 'The Lonely Little Thrift Store' also stick in my mind. The latter was especially brilliant (and as an end to the set).
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Kieron · Joined: 02 Dec 2005 Posts: 909 Location: Edinburgh

sanskrit drone-core folk? sounds amazing! wish i coulda been at these shows, you lucky people!

Will Oldham · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:33 pm Post subject:

Damm it I'd have made the trip to hear the watchmen lecture, I think I just caught the very end of a trailer on telly the other day.

As I was saying the other day I use the linking system to remember the set list which I find overly satisfying and which helps me remember the set list effortlessly weeks later -

I start by turning the songs into a vivid image, then when the next song starts I think of an image which both represents that song and which is also easy to link to my first image.

I'll give you an example of how i remembered the union chapel set list

I didn't know the first song but it was about love so my first image was a big bright red love heart with a question mark in the centre. from this image I mentally zoomed out from the heart until I saw the heart was inside the chest of a indian person in full bollywood style robes etc, this told me the second song was fletchers indian sounding song. I then zoomed out again and saw that flying from this person was an ARROW, I followed its flight until it passed 2 very bored grumpy looking people leaning by a wall waiting (WAIT IT OUT) suddenly Sarah Jessica Parker apears with a deck of cards to to a trick for them ( I AIN'T THICK, ITS JUST A TRICK) I see the cards fall from her hands and disapear into a field of WILD FLOWERS, next I'm wading through the field of flowers and left and right of me stands one after the other of bill boards (SLOGANS) finally i pass them all and standing in front of me is a flag pole with a red flag on it (HISTORY OF COMUNISM) beyond the flag pole is a winners podeum (END RESULT) and floating above it is a giant red love heart split down the middle (BROKEN HEART) some red gue is seeping out of the split and pouring downward , i follow it down and see it is paint settling on to a canvas, there is an artist next to it painting the canvas ( ART LAND) the artist is getting a blow job (CHELSEA HOTEL ORAL SEX SONG)

It sounds quite involved but its really not. just quickly think of an image that you know you can decipher later as the song, make it vivid so you remember it easily and link it really obviously to the next image so one picture flows into the next with out any effort, its amazing how this way you can remember vast lists with barely any effort

one tip before you try it , I like to keep looking back over my image as i create it to make sure it flows, if i struggle at any stage to remember the next part of the link then the image ive picked or the way of linking the imagine wasn't vivid enough and I need to change it or replace it with some thing better.
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Dav · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:51 pm Post subject:

héhé nice
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Hattie · Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Posts: 16 Location: Brighton, England

Yeah, this union chapel show was ridiculously amazing. It was also 3 years to the day that I'd first seen him play.

The Brighton gig was good too, but it was nothing compared to owl parliament.
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jack fe · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 865

Holy balls!
So you first saw him play with the Cribs at the concorde that time? Me too!

Me and my sister realised at Owl Parliament that it was the three year anniversary.

And I don't know about the Brighton show, I thought it was just as good as Owl Parliament. Both way too short sets so it felt like both together was jusssst enough. The sample of the Watchmen lecture was wonderful.
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Hattie · Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Posts: 16 Location: Brighton, England

Holy balls indeed! Yes I reminded Jeff the next day that it had been an accidental anniversary.

It's so nice that someone else bothers to remember these things. That cribs show was great, even if gary WAS ill.
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Will Oldham · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:52 pm Post subject:

thats cool, I was assuming you guys knew each other!

you made me have to go through the records to find my first one, it was;

Jeff Lewis Band September UK Tour 2004!

Sept 15 - Oxford - (The Cellar, with Misty's Big Adventure and the Epstiens)

not that anyone asked Rolling Eyes

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Hattie · Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Posts: 16 Location: Brighton, England

Haha how come you assumed so correctly?

Wow, you're practically a Jeffrey Lewis Veteran in my eyes. 2004 is a long while ago...

I don't really want to mention how old I was back then either...it's a number between 12 and 14.

Obviously you guys spend too much time on forums so your maths wont be strong enough to work that one out.
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jack fe · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 865

I wasn't much older. I think I'd just turned 15.
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Will Oldham · Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:59 am Post subject: